Word to the Wise
Monday, April 14, 2025 - Holy Week - Mon
[Isa 42:1-7 and John 12:1-11]Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit....[Isaiah] "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." [John]
The daily scripture and the Sunday scripture are not quite synchronized. On Sunday, we celebrated Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and we heard gospel readings from the Gospel According to Luke. The incident in the gospel scripture for today from the Gospel According to John occurs before Jesus goes into Jerusalem, but just after the raising of Lazarus! Imagine attending a dinner party where one of the guests is someone who has been raised from the tomb!
Monday through Wednesday and on Good Friday, the first scripture will come from Isaiah and feature what are traditionally called "the Songs of the Suffering Servant." The spotlight moves to the central figure in the drama of Holy Week: Jesus!
The incident in today's gospel is poignant. One could call it a farewell dinner given by close friends of Jesus: Mary, Martha and Lazarus! The gesture of pouring expensive oil on Jesus' feet (a task usually performed by a servant for a guest) anticipates his death and burial. Judas' reaction directs our attention to the developing plot to kill Jesus (and Lazarus, too!). But throughout the week, in the Gospel According to John, Jesus is less a victim than a hero knowingly going to his fate in accomplishment of his mission! He personifies the Suffering Servant. The last "song" is read on Good Friday, and it is almost eerie in its depiction of what would be awaiting Jesus.
Scripture scholars tell us that the passion accounts in the gospels were the first parts put into writing. In a way this suggests that everything else in Jesus' life and mission should be understood in the light of what happened in this week. The passion account that is always read on Good Friday comes from the Gospel According to John and is truly dramatic. Reading all four of the Songs of the Suffering Servant and then all four of the passion accounts in order: Mark, Matthew, Luke and finally John can be a way of entering into the experience of this sacred week. It is not just past history. It is a continual "history in the making!" AMEN